Rotary engine



. n. CARROLL.

' ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION FI LED OCT- 9| I916.

Patented June 8, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- J. D. CARROLL.

ROTARY ENGINE.

APPLICATION nus!) OCT. 9. 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 5

UNITED STATES JOHN 1). camera), or EvANsvILLE, INDIANA, Assislvon' TO TURBO ROTARY ENGINE v 00., or EVANSVILLE, INDIANA, A conronnrron or scorn DAKOTA.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat 1, JOHN D. GARROLLLHJ subject of the King of Great'Britain, residing at Evansville, in the county of Van derburg and State of Indiana, have invented certain "new and useful Improvements in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a specification. V

My invention relates to rotary engines,

particularly to thattype in whicha piston drum is rotatably mounted in a cylinder eccentric therewith, with blades journaled eccentric with reference to the drum and projecting therefrom to" contact with the cylinder walls and to shift radially as the drum rotates, the blades together with the cylinder anddrumiorming working chambers for the expansion of the driving fluid.

Amongthe important objects of the invention are to provide simplified construe.

tionand arrangement which will produce strength andcompactness and which will enable the parts to be readily assembled or taken apart; to provide such inter-relation and support of the various parts that smooth and well-balanced operation will result; to provide improved packing means for preventing leakage of driving-fluid from the working chambers and toy provide ar rangement which will equalize 'the endthrust and keep the rotatingdrum properly spaced in the cylinder ;--and to provide construction and arrangement which will en able the engine to be operatedby steam or by gases.

On the accompanying drawings a con-.

struction involving the above and other features of my invention is shown. In these drawings- V k Figure l is ,a vertical diametral sectional view ofthe engine, V y Fig. 2- is a' sectional View on plane 2-?2, *i.1 V Fig. 3' is a perspective view of one of the blade members, y p

Fig. i is a side view of a section ofthe ylinder wall. showing the arrangement of the packing, I

-Fig. 5 is. a sectional Viewon plane 55, Fig.4, and;

' 6 IS a ROTARY ENGINE."

sectional view on plane i Patented JuneSg-192OL- Application filed October 9, 1916.- SeriaI' Nc.. 124,'533. i

the inwardly extending peripheral flange '13 Y and theflange 14 extending outwardly from the inner ends of the flange 18. Between the end structures is the cylinder 15 having the. end flanges l6 and 17 which are secured to the flanges 14 of the side structures by bolts or screws 18. cylindrical drum section {.19 integral with and extending from the end plate'.2 0, and the other end plate 21 is centered by the annular tongue .22. and groove 23 .on ,the drum cylinder, and isjconnectedto the lat ter by through bolts 8. To facilitate drill ing of the holes forthe bolts and subsequent assembling, one or more dowel-pins 9. (Fig. 2) are preferably employed. .The plate 20 Within the cylinderis the r has the annular boss 124E extending laterally I outwardly therefroflm and the end platefl21 has a similar boss25, the bosses extending. into the end structures l0'and 11 adjacent the horizontal flanges 13 thereof; Thehead hub 26 extending centrally inwardly therefrom, and between this .hub and theannular boss 25 is interposed aball bearing 27. The

12 of the endistructure 10 has a cylindrical head 12 of the end structure 11. has the tral horizontal opening 28 whichis surrounded by the annular inwardly'extending hub 29, and between this hub and the .boss

24 is interposed aballbearing 30.'the, drum I structure being thus mounted withinthe end structures and cylinder-for rotation. A

shaft .31 extends centrallythrough the open V ,ing 28 and through the, hub 26 and receives the annular hub'32 extending outwardly from the drum structure end plate .20, this extending concentrically into the hub H 29 and being rigidlysecured' to theshaft so that the, shaft. will be rotated with the drum'structure. The shaftfpasses centrally through the end structures .10 "and llflnd with reference thereto but concentric withf the cylinder is the cylindrical bearingboss 33' which, majbdintegiralwith and forms 7 an eccentric extension of the hub 26,. a reduced portion" of, the a shaft I31 extending through ithisbos's'g the hub 26. The boss is surrounded by .abushingBon ,which the various blade structures B are jou rnaled.

Three such blade structures are. shown, each mpfisiP 'e gef 35 fr m hisk eccentric straps or bearing lugs 36 extend. These eccentric straps or lugs are nested compactly on the bushing 34, one of the blade members being shown as having only one strap 36 which isreceived between the two straps 36 of the second bladememben'which straps are inturn received between the straps 36 of the third membelythe straps being thus arranged side by side-on the bushing with the blades 35 extending substantially rad1- allyoutwardlyi" Throughthe drum 19 and drum plate 20 and its boss 24 are three equally spaced cylindrical bearing passageways 37, and through the drum plate 21 and its boss 25 are'opposed bearing-passage ways 38. Extending through the opposed passageways are the cylindrical bearing rockers 39 each provided between the drum and such members will have a slight rocking mot1on on their axes,'and the blades will at their outer ends always engage with the inner wall of the cylinder 15, and will travel and the drum willbe rotated,-the bladethrough the working chamber 41 formedbe tween adjacent blades and' the relatively eccentric walls of the cylinder and drum. 1 A

fluid inlet 42 extends tangentially to the working chamber and at a diametrally oppositepoint an exhaust passageway 43 extends from this chamber. Fluid, as for example-steam, entering at the inlet '42 will impinge 'against the'blade. below the inlet traveling. from the. narrower toward the wider section of the working chamber in advance thereof so that the steam behind the blade canjexpand. 'As' the. blades succes- 'sively pass the'fluid inlet the fluid will impinge thereagainst and continuous driving torque will thus be exerted against the blades to rotate the drum. '-YVhen a blade reaches "and passes the exhaust outlet the steam in d to the atmosphere.

the chamber behind the blade will exhaust It is evident that instead of using steam for the driving 'fluid gases may be used, and theengine can be readlly utlhzed as anexplosive engine.

'One ofthe objects of my invention isto so construct'the parts that the engine .can be; readlly assembled or taken apart. In

general, the construction andarrangement is such that the various parts can be slipped into orout of place; The tongueand groove connection: ;2 2123 between the drum cylinder19and its endplate 2llocks these mem beis concentric, and the bolts 8 serve to hold the members laterally together. As shown,

. 1 theheads 10 and 11 have slots 44 in. which yieldable packing structures are inserted,"

whose construction and arrangement is shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. The packing comprises an outer bearing ring45 of suitable bearlng in'ateriallsuch as'brass, an mteri'n'ediate ring 46 of yieldable'material such as felt,- and an inner ring 47 possessing transverse elasticity. As best shown in 'Fig. 5, V such elasticity may be produced by corrugating a metallic band, a spring of serpentine form capable of transverse expansion and compression. These packings will afford steam-tight bearing surfacesbetween the cylinder side walls 10. and 11 and'thedrum structure, and prevent passage of steam or.

gas should 1 any escape from the working chambers. Similar packing 48 maybe inserted between the flanges of the'end-strucr ture and cylinder, and similar packing 49 may also be inserted in the slots 50. in the ends of'cylinder 15 to engage withthe plates 20 and 21'outside of the drum 19. [I have also shown similarpacking 51 inserted in the end plate 21 toengage with the hub 26, and similar packing 52 is "also inserted in the inner ends of the hub 29to be engaged the drum plate 20. Similar packing is also provided for the various blades 35, each blade having the sideand end channels 53 and 54 respectively, the right'angled bearing plates 55 and56 being jointed at 57 and being pressed outwardly by. felt and spring layers arrangedin the channels in the same manner as illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 61 Packing 58 is also provided in the rocking bearing members 39 for engaging with the blades, and pa'cking'59 of these rocking members engage with the sides of the pas- "sageways 37. 'VVith all these packings it will be impossible for steam or gas to. escape: to the exterior of the engine, and the packings are yieldingand the friction is reduced to a minimum. L y

A stufling gland 60,may be providedfor the outer end of the passageway 28in the side structure 11, the stufling material 61 be;

ing compressed by the gland against the 'sides of the passageway and the sha'ft'to prevent leakage. At the other side a bushing 62 may be inserted in" the pocket 63 around. the shaft. and its packing slots 64 filled with suitable packingmaterial 65; In order to equalize the end thrust of the steam or gas pressure an equalizin'gfvent 66 maybe provided in the hub 26 to extend fromthe drum interior to the bushing 62. To equalize the pressure at opposite sides of the drum between the'drum and cylinder walls outside of the packings'44 and 49 one or more equalizer passageways 67 may be 3 provided, andto equalizethe pressure in the spaces at opposite sides of the drum between the packing's 44 and 52 vent passageways 68 and 69 are'provided and these passage,

ways could lead to atmo'sphere or could be connected together. a

' 7 It oanreadily be seen that the'engine disclosed is'of very simple and economical construction, there being few parts and such parts being adapted to be readily slipped into or out of place so that assembling and dismantling can be very readily accomplished. The packings keep the various members in accurate relative position during operation of the engine and also prevent leakage or circulation of steam or gas between the various parts. The ball bearings keep the drum structure accurately centered with reference to the housing sidesso that the drum structure will rotate uniformly and freely and without friction.

I do not, of course, desire to be limited.

to the exact construction and arrangement shown and descrlbed, as changes and modifications are no doubt possible Wl11Cl1 would still come within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. Ina rotary engine, the combination with a stationary housing comprising end structures and a central structure forming a cylinder, of a rotary drum structure in said housing having on one end thereof a also extending through and journaled in' said bearing boss, and piston blades jour- V naled at their inner ends on said bearing boss and'extending through slots in said drum structure.

2. In a rotary engine, the combination with a stationary housing comprising end structures and a central cylinder structure, of a rotary drum structure in said housing having radial flanges overla )pin'g the ends of said central cylindrical structure and having on one end thereofa laterally ex tending hollow hub, a hub extending inwardly from one end structure, an annular hub extending inwardly from the other end structure .and surrounding saiddrum hub, annular bosses extending laterally from the opposite ends of said drum structure and surrounding the hubs of said end structures, ant -friction bearings lnterposed between saidbosses and hubs to mount said drum structure for rotation, a bearing bo s's formmg an lnward eccentric extenslon of one of said end structure hubs, a shaft extendingthrough and secured to said'drum hub and having a reduced portionextending through and journale'din said bearing boss, and piston blades journaled at their inner ends ;on said bearing boss and extending through slots in said drum structure.

r 3. In a rotary engine, the combination with a stationary housing, of a drum structure therein, said housing comprising a cenj tral cylinder section and end sections se-- cured together, hubs extending inwardly from said end sections and said drum struc- Y ture being j ournaled on said hubs for rotation, said drum structure being sectional f and the sections being providedv with groove andtongue connection to lock them against relative diametral displacement, and means for lockingsaid drum structure sections axi- V ally. together.

l. In a rotary engine, the combination with a statlonary hous1ng,of a drum structure therein, said housing comprising a central section and end sections secured together, hubs extending inwardly from said end sections and said drum being journaled thereon for rotation, said drum structure being divided diametrally into sections, through bolts for locking the drum structure sections together axially, and dowel pins for alining the drum sections tofacilitate insertion of the bolts. s

-' JOHN D. CARROLL. 

